From The Pastors Desk:    
      Earlier this week I drove to the home of Becky and Jerry Hoffman on Eucha Lake near Jay, OK. There are several small towns that one passes through to get to their home, and I sometimes enjoy the drive, the scenery, the small towns, and the people. First and foremost, please continue to pray for Jerry and Becky. Jerry is on hospice and nearing the end of his journey through this life, and the beginning of his journey in eternity. Their peace comes from knowing that Jerry has accepted Christ and knowing that his eternity is safe with Jesus. It is still a difficult time for everyone involved, as many of you understand.  On my journey Tuesday I passed a small store a couple of miles this side of Locust Grove. The big sign identified it as a hardware store, but another sign briefly listed some of the items the business offered. I had to drive past the sign on my way back just to make sure that I read it correctly the first time I saw it.  The sign offered the following, in this order:                      
Hardware,                                                                                            
Groceries,                    
Snacks,                        
Pop,                    
and
hair cuts.  
I confess that I have seen similar signs on many businesses over the years, but I have never seen one that included hair-cuts. All the way home my mind conjured up images of what could take place in an establishment like this business, after all it looked like the store was operated by a single employee.  -Would conversations include: I’ll be with you as soon as I get these side burns even, or   -I’ll finish trimming your bangs after I flip the hamburgers on the grill, or   -(I decided to let you fill in a few of the blanks for yourself).  I guess that it seemed odd for me to see this particular combination of services. Then I began to wonder, “What do people see the first time they come into Belview”? I have been in a lot of churches around Tulsa and across the state. I have stepped into many foyers and had to pause to make sure I was in a church. The things some offer I have never seen in a church before. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with what they offer, it just kind of surprising sometimes. So far I haven’t seen a Barber shop. I’ll be honest, at Belview we have many things to offer, but as long as they remember Jesus the rest of the stuff doesn’t really matter.  Tuesday  I was really tempted to stop at the hardware store to check out the Barber Shop, then I remembered,
“Why”?
See you all Sunday, + Bro. Tom